CMO Insights and Analysis from DeloitteCONTENT FROM OUR SPONSORPlease note: The Wall Street Journal News Department was not involved in the creation of the content below.

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So Nobody Wants Your Pharma App?

Before developing a new app or upgrading an existing one, pharmaceutical CMOs can consider the app’s value, expected lifespan, and consumer trust issues.

Although many pharmaceutical companies are churning out new apps at a healthy clip, consumer adoption and usage rates for many such apps are stagnant, according to a new study from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. The study, “Pharma and the Connected Patient,” found that while the number of apps produced by pharma companies more than tripled from 305 in 2013 to 988 in 2016, the year-over-year growth rate of pharma app downloads by consumers slowed from 197 percent between 2013 and 2014 to just 5 percent between 2015 and 2016.

Although this anemic performance could prompt some companies to scale back investments in consumer-facing apps, that’s not likely to happen in pharma, given the current intense focus on driving patientcentricity and making direct connections with patients.

New digital technologies are transforming the way patients manage their health care, whether through smartphone apps, wearables, or patient portals. Using these technologies, patients and their doctors can often measure and monitor health-related variables in real time. These advances are driving a different level of engagement and expectation from patients, who increasingly see technology as a key to helping them take a much more proactive role in caring for their health.

‘New digital technologies are transforming the way patients manage their health care, whether through smartphone apps, wearables, or patient portals.’

Three Questions for a Successful App

Apps in the pharmaceuticals industry can succeed, but it takes a razor-sharp approach, a little creativity, and brutal, self-directed honesty. CMOs at pharmaceutical companies can consider the following questions before developing an app or improving an underperforming one.

Does the app promise utility or value? Rising consumer expectations can create a gap between the health care experiences customers demand and the products and services they receive. A survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found that more than half of consumers surveyed do not believe the U.S. health care system provides value or meets their needs. Pharma companies that bridge the value gap often do so by addressing an unmet patient need or helping caregivers meet those needs. For example, pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi, in collaboration with software company Voluntis, developed Diabeo, a mobile app that aims to better treat patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The app provides patients with decision-making support through algorithms that help calculate personalized doses of insulin and through remote management of patient conditions via telemedicine with health care providers.

What’s the lifespan of the app? Many mobile apps tend to be short-lived or disposable—used once, then deleted. Pharma executives can consider the app in the context of the overall patient journey before beginning development. Perhaps the patient is expected to use the app only a few times, based on the length of treatment. In that case, requiring a username and password could be a barrier to adoption. In other cases, depending on the course of patient treatment, an app may not be the right solution; email, text messaging, or other forms of communication may provide equivalent value.

Are consumers likely to trust the app? Health care apps developed by pharmaceutical companies are trusted by only 32 percent of surveyed consumers, compared to 76 percent for apps developed by patient communities, according to the Deloitte study. Some pharma companies have partnered with patient groups to bolster brand trust in their apps. Roche’s mySugr and Pfizer’s Quitter’s Circle are examples of successful apps— well-known within their respective therapeutic areas—that were cosponsored by patient groups.

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The decision to build a patient app needs to be predicated on a solid business case, not as a response to pressure from inside or outside the company. The business case—coupled with a firm understanding of the app’s value, lifespan, and potential partners—can inform CMOs’ efforts to give fledgling or underperforming apps a healthy boost.

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